Holston National Bank | |
 The Holston | |
| Location | 531 S. Gay St. Knoxville, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°57′51″N 83°55′6″W / 35.96417°N 83.91833°W |
| Area | .17 acres (690 m2)[1] |
| Built | 1913[1] |
| Architect | John Kevan Peebles |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002446 |
| Added to NRHP | October 2, 1979 |
The Holston is a condominium high-rise located at 531 South Gay Street in Knoxville, Tennessee. Completed in 1913 as the headquarters for the Holston National Bank, the 14-story building was the tallest in Knoxville until the construction in the late 1920s of the Andrew Johnson Hotel, located a few blocks away. The Holston was designed by architect John Kevan Peebles and today represents the city's only Neoclassical Revival-style high rise.[1] In 1979, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and its prominent position in the Knoxville skyline.[1]
Founded in 1890, Holston National Bank had grown to become one of Knoxville's three largest banks by 1913, when it built the first twelve stories of the Holston building.[2] The 13th and 14th stories were added in 1928 after Holston National merged with Union National to create Knoxville's largest bank, Holston-Union.[1][2] The bank failed in 1930 during the onset of the Great Depression, however, and was replaced the following year by the Hamilton National Bank of Knoxville. Over the next four decades, Hamilton National remained Knoxville's largest bank, at times controlling over half of the city's banking resources.[2] Hamilton National was seized by Jake Butcher's United American Bank in 1975 following a bid war, and the bank moved its headquarters to the nearby Plaza Tower in 1978.[2]
- ^ a b c d e Ronald Childress, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for Holston National Bank, May 10, 1979.
- ^ a b c d East Tennessee Historical Society, Lucile Deaderick (ed.), Heart of the Valley: A History of Knoxville, Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1976), pp. 367-398.